MENU PRE-PLANNING

Start planning well ahead of intended departure.

Portable refrigeration has changed the camping menu for the better: there’s no good reason why meals served at home can’t be enjoyed when you're camping. With a bit of careful planning, you can even enjoy a cold beer or glass of wine at the end of the day.

Planning the menu is an essential part of the trip if you'd rather spend your valuable holiday time sight-seeing instead of shopping. Keep it simple and remember to allow for ‘cooks time off’ with a meal or two at a restaurant or cafe when possible.

Plan out a rough menu well ahead of your intended departure date, working out how many breakfasts, lunches and dinners you’ll be catering for.

It's not necessary to buy all the items on your menu before you depart on your big trip: as storage space is often quite limited and the often over-looked consideration is the overall weight of your vehicle when fully packed, yes food adds to that! As an example, why would you take a two kilo pack of sugar if you only need a couple of teaspoons per day? Individual sugar sachets may be a bit more expensive but are a much better choice.

Assuming that you're heading off on the big trip of four or more weeks, pack enough food for 7-10 days and plan to top up supplies along the way.

Some of our favourite camping foods: Spice Tailor Indian Curries - Butter Chicken, Korma, Rogan Josh, Keralan Coconut, Fiery Goan, Tikka Masala, Punjabi Tomato to name a few. The meal is made up of three ratchets: one containing dry herbs and spices, the second contains the base sauce in which you can marinate your choice of meat or chicken, the third sachet contains the . Preparation time is minimal at 10-15 minutes and each serves 2-3 people. They require only one or two extra ingredients (your choice of meat, coconut milk etc) We also heat pre-cooked rice in a pan to accompany the curry.

Make this an easy meal such as a sausage and onion sizzle, toasted sandwich or a cafe meal

Australia's Quarantine Laws

Before you start filling your food containers and camp fridge, you should be aware of what you can take in your vehicle across state borders and into special exclusion zones.

Each State and Territory in Australia has strict quarantine laws in place to protect its agricultural industries from pests and diseases found in fruit and vegetables, honey and plant material. Before you travel interstate, into or through fruit fly exclusion zones, take a look at the Quarantine Domestic website.

Lists available on the site spell out what you can and can’t take into each State, Territory and exclusion zone. Print off the lists that apply to your travel route and stow them in a handy location ready to refer to when you need to re-stock your food supplies on the run. The lists will help to avoid the purchase of banned items which you’ll have to surrender (or eat) as you approach borders, checking stations or exclusion zones.